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The Surprising Benefits of an EV Charger with a Timer You Never Knew

Nearly every manufacturer of smart wallboxes says that they offer time-controlled charging. But when you dig deeper, you realise there are many different things they mean by that. Apparently, setting a timer can now save the grid, the planet, and your wallet – all before you’ve even had breakfast.

What is actually an EV charger with a timer, and do you really need it? Read on to find out.

The most important facts at a glance:

What is an EV Charger with a Timer?

An EV charger with a timer means charging starts and stops based on specific time settings and is not automatically activated once the cable is plugged in. This feature is especially popular among wallbox owners who take advantage of nighttime energy tariffs* and those who aim to charge more sustainably, whether or not it directly affects energy costs.

* A nighttime tariff is an electricity pricing plan with fixed off-peak hours during which electricity is cheaper. For instance, Octopus Go offers 5 hours of low-cost EV charging at 9c/kWh, from 12:30-4:30 am.

Pros

  • Reduced electricity costs

  • Grid-friendly charging

  • More charging control

  • More sustainable charging

Cons

  • You need an app

  • Not all wallboxes offer such a function

Automated vs. Simple time-controlled charging

Unlike chargers that rely solely on basic timers, advanced wallboxes are also able to consider energy data from multiple sources, like your PV system and home energy setup. This allows charging to be scheduled intelligently, based on the real-time energy flows in your home, rather than operating blindly.

go-e offers two modes for this:

  • ECO mode

Fully automatic. The charger decides when and how much to charge based on electricity prices. You only need to set a maximum acceptable price per kWh. If surplus power is available and prioritised, it will be used first.

  • Daily Trip mode

Focus on your next planned journey. You choose how much energy you need, and the charger ensures your car is ready while still optimising the costs and efficiency if ECO mode is active.

In addition, our go-e Charger can be integrated into a smart home, meaning charging times are determined not only by individual factors but by the entire system as a whole.

Note:

Many people think of smart wallboxes as fixed to the wall. But that’s not necessarily the case. Solutions like the mobile go-e Charger Gemini flex 2.0 add even more flexibility, letting you take time-controlled charging wherever you go.

Why Is Time-Controlled Charging Useful?

Time-controlled charging is much more sustainable and can be considerably cheaper compared to simple uncontrolled charging. There are plenty of possibilities to benefit from this feature, whether you do or don’t have solar panels and/or an energy management system (EMS).

Saving money with off-peak rates

Today, all energy providers in Europe offer flexible electricity tariffs. This means that the price per kWh is fluctuating during the day, being low when demand is low and high when demand is high. These times can often be roughly predicted:

High price (peak):

  • Morning (7:00 am – 11:00 am): People are waking up, making breakfast, taking showers, using kettles — lots of devices on at once.

  • Evening (5:00 pm – 9:00 pm): Everyone’s home from work or school, cooking dinner, watching TV, doing laundry — demand goes up.

Low price (off-peak):

  • Daytime (11:00 am – 5:00 pm): Most people are out, so fewer appliances are running at home.

  • Nighttime (9:00 pm – 7:00 am): Everyone’s asleep, barely any electricity is being used.

In addition, prices normally drop when the sun is shining or the wind is strong, because that’s when the most renewable energy is being generated.

E.ON e-driver study has found that about 1 in 3 people with home wallboxes are interested in electricity tariffs that are more predictable and offer lower prices for nighttime charging.

Some wallboxes let you set charging times manually in the app. But with the go-e Charger, that’s just the starting point. While manual scheduling is included as a basic feature, our device goes far beyond. It can automatically detect the cheapest energy periods with pinpoint accuracy. Set a price cap (e.g., €0.10/kWh) in the app, and the charger ensures your car never charges above your chosen limit. This advanced feature, called ECO mode, is what dozens of thousands of go-e Charger users rely on every day to minimise charging costs.

Avoiding local grid overload in high-demand times

Overloading the local electricity grid is becoming a serious problem. That’s actually why bidirectional V2G charging came about. It lets people either give back energy to the grid when demand spikes or avoid putting extra strain on it. Expanding the grid to handle more demand is super expensive, so finding smart ways to balance things out makes a big difference.

In Germany, they even introduced a law (called the 14th paragraph EnwG) requiring wallboxes to be controllable. This means the grid operator can lower your charging power if too many people are using electricity at once and the system can barely handle it. Such wallboxes are often likely to qualify for subsidies or other financial incentives. In contrast, non-controllable wallboxes do not provide these monetary benefits.

Having an EV charger with a timer lets you support grid stability, thereby contributing to the big goal.

Enabling renewable-first charging strategies

Charging at specific times involves considering not just the clock but also other important factors like the availability of excess solar power. With a truly smart wallbox, such as our go-e Charger, and an EMS like the go-e Controller, you can set it to charge only when surplus solar energy is available.

Once all your lights, fridge, AC and other household appliances are running, any leftover PV power is used for charging your car battery in ECO mode. So, while you’re at home on a sunny afternoon watching Netflix shows, grilling in the backyard or playing with your cats, your EV can consume that free solar energy.

Note:

You can also easily manage PV surplus using integrations from partner brands like Clever-PV and Solar Manager. Since go-e Chargers are already supported in their systems, setting up solar-powered charging can be done in no time.

Double-benefit timing settings

go-e users enjoy a special feature that combines charging from PV surplus with flexible energy tariffs. The smart wallbox automatically manages charging based on a few simple priorities:

  • PV surplus first – ECO mode is active, so the charger uses any available solar energy before drawing from the grid.

  • Flexible energy tariffs

If more energy is needed, the charger follows the Daily Trip settings. It charges when electricity prices are below your limit or to reach your required kWh target.

Make sure you never pay more than you’re willing to for charging.

PV surplus charging in a smart home

Let’s imagine today is Sunday. You know that tomorrow it is going to be sunny. So, instead of collecting energy in your home energy storage, you would rather charge your car with it. With a smart home and a go-e Charger, you can set the desired behaviour of your devices to make this happen automatically. All that is needed in this case is to sync your system with the weather forecast.

go-e cooperates with many integration partners such as Loxone, RAZO, clever-PV, E-Flux by Road and others to make such scenarios possible. These partnerships make it particularly easy to integrate the go-e Charger into your smart home system, as the platforms already natively support the charger.

Time-Controlled Charging in Daily Life

With so many smart features at your disposal, you might think using your smart wallbox requires constant monitoring or setting timers. But with ECO mode and Daily Trip mode offered by go-e everything happens automatically.

Weekday routine

It’s a casual Tuesday evening. You park your car at home and plug it in. Using the go-e app, you open the ECO mode tab and set the EV charger to start as soon as the electricity rate falls below €0.10 per kWh. Then, you go to the Daily Trip mode and configure it to ensure that 50 kWh are charged. The system knows the electricity rates, so it prioritises cheaper energy overnight. In the end, it schedules everything to make sure you have the full 50 kWh by the set time at the lowest possible price. By morning, the car is fully charged and ready for your commute.

Weekend flexibility

Imagine it’s Saturday. Perhaps you’re doing the laundry, making brunch, or reading in the sun. The car is parked in the garage and can be charged over a longer period, using surplus solar energy. By evening, it’s fully charged, ready for a spontaneous drive or a weekend outing. If the day is cloudy and solar isn’t enough, the charger can switch to the grid, but only when needed, or even only when electricity is cheaper than €0.15 per kWh, if you decide so. After all, you still need to be ready for that trip. 

Vacation mode

When you’re on vacation and not leaving home for long drives every day, your car doesn’t need a full charge each night. Maybe you only drive for five minutes for coffee with friends or a short walk to the store. In this case, you can set the go-e Charger to fill just a little each day, enough for those small trips. You could even set it to charge only from PV surplus in ECO mode, so it quietly absorbs whatever solar energy is available, even if that’s not much every day.

To check your charging status, just open the go-e app for an instant overview. You can see if charging is active, how many kWh were charged in the last hour, day, or week, how much came from your PV system, and much more.

Top 5 EV Chargers with Timer Under €1000

Not all smart wallboxes allow you to schedule charging, and some cost well over €1,000. Check out the options that are affordable yet smart, offering not only the times feature but also automated phase change, load balancing, RFID management, and more.

  • go-e Charger Gemini (up to 11 kW) – €689.00 

  • KEBA KeContact P30 a-series GREEN EDITION (up to 11 kW) – €749.95

  • Elli Charger Connect 2 (up to 11 kW) – €759.00

  • Alfen Eve Single S-Line (up to 11 kW) – €788.90

  • Zaptec Go Wallbox (up to 22 kW) – €798.49

Prices sourced from Energielösung GmbH on 19 August 2025.

By the way: Test after test, go-e wallboxes prove they offer the best value for money. In 2025, the go-e Charger Gemini flex 2.0 was named "Price Champion" by DIE TESTER for its unbeatable price-performance ratio. In 2023, Auto Bild & P3 Institut awarded the go-e Charger Gemini flex a top rating of 1.0 for its outstanding value.

Summary: When Is It Worth Getting an EV Charger With a Timer?

Frankly, this makes sense for nearly all EV drivers. Controlling charging times helps you reduce costs, use solar energy efficiently, and lighten the load on the grid. The scheduler in the go-e app lets you manually define specific time windows, such as charging overnight when electricity is cheaper. With ECO mode, the charger can take care of the details automatically. To be on the safe side, set the amount of energy that needs to be charged by a certain time in Daily Trip mode.

Advanced scheduling opportunities like those offered by go-e are especially great if you:

  • Want to cut down on energy bills by charging when electricity is cheapest.

  • Have solar panels and want to prioritise using surplus solar power for your electric car.

  • Own a smart home or energy management system and want your charging to adapt to real-time energy flows.

FAQs

Can I use time-controlled charging together with PV surplus power?

Yes, you can use time-controlled charging together with PV surplus power. But there is no need to configure any settings manually when smart wallboxes, like the go-e Charger, make it happen automatically in ECO mode. The charger will first use your PV surplus and then fall back on grid electricity during your chosen time slots or when the price per kWh drops below your defined limit.

How does the go-e Charger decide whether to use PV electricity or follow a charging schedule?

The charger will start as soon as either condition is met.

When you set up the scheduler with PV-Surplus outside of ECO mode, your charger will wait until at least one of these conditions is met before it starts charging:

  • Timeslot – the scheduled window you have set for charging.

  • PV surplus – excess electricity generated by your solar panels.

What is the difference between Scheduler, ECO Mode, and Daily Trip in the go-e Charger?

  • Scheduler (time-controlled charging): Lets you define specific charging windows, e.g., 11 pm - 5 am.

  • ECO Mode: Automatically decides when and how much to charge based on electricity prices, PV surplus, and efficiency — no manual timer settings are required.

  • Daily Trip: Targets your next planned journey. You specify the amount of energy needed, and the system ensures that your EV reaches this target while still optimising for cost and efficiency if combined with ECO Mode.

Can I schedule charging to take advantage of cheaper nighttime electricity rates?

Yes. Using the scheduler, you can set charging during cheaper night hours. Advanced wallboxes like the go-e Charger can also predict energy prices in advance and optimise charging automatically if ECO Mode is active and the tariff is integrated into the app.

What happens if my car is plugged in earlier or stays connected longer than planned?

The charger simply waits until the programmed charging window begins. If your car is plugged in longer, it won’t harm the process. The charger will only deliver energy according to your set schedule and priorities.

Are wallboxes with time-controlled charging eligible for subsidies?

Yes, in many European countries, wallboxes with time-controlled charging are eligible for subsidies. It’s best to check your local funding guidelines, as requirements differ by country and region.

How can I link charging times to dynamic electricity tariffs?

Smart wallboxes like the go-e Charger can forecast electricity price data 24 hours in advance. This allows you to set a price cap (e.g., €0.10/kWh), so charging automatically starts only when the tariff drops below that threshold.

Are there EV chargers with a timer that don’t require an app?

No, normally, you can only start/stop charging or adjust charging current directly on the charger. For everything else, you need an app.

Does a wallbox with a timer cost more than a basic one?

Not necessarily. Some low-cost wallboxes with basic smart functionality include a scheduler. Advanced devices with features that allow you to save more significant amounts in the long run, like PV surplus charging or dynamic tariffs, normally cost a bit more.

If both my car and my wallbox have timers, which one is in charge?

Your car’s timer usually takes priority. If the car is set to block charging until midnight, the wallbox can’t override that. The simplest setup is to let the wallbox handle scheduling and set your EV to “always allow charging.”

What kind of data does a smart wallbox collect, and is it safe?

Wallboxes log things like how much energy you’ve charged and when. This data helps optimise charging and lets you track savings in the app. Reputable brands like go-e store it securely and in line with GDPR rules. You can also export or delete your data anytime.

Will my scheduled charging still work if there is no internet?

If basic time scheduling had been preset in the app, it usually works even without an internet connection, because the schedule is stored directly in the wallbox or app. However, more advanced functions, such as syncing with dynamic tariffs, require internet access. If the internet goes down temporarily, the charger will typically continue with the last known settings.

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